Open letter to Stand Up To Racism -
No to Zionists marching again on 17 March in Glasgow!

On 18 March 2017 the Confederation of Friends of Israel (COFI), a Zionist organisation which has the backing of the Israeli Government, joined the annual march organised by ‘Stand Up to Racism’ (SUTR) in Glasgow. They were one of the most prominent contingents on the march at the assembly point with a banner and many Israel flags. SUTR stewards refused to ask or force the Zionist contingent to leave the march despite the protests of anti-racists at the time and throughout the march. SUTR have now refused to say whether COFI will be excluded from its march organised for this coming 17 March in Glasgow.

The issue at stake is quite clear. Zionism is a racist ideology. It is the ideological cloak of the racist colonial-settler state of Israel. SUTR and its Socialist Workers Party (SWP) backers cannot present this form of racism as something different from the racism they say they are challenging. To do so is to capitulate to the Israel-backed and reactionary campaign which presents anti-Zionism as anti-Semitism.

If SUTR and the SWP do not challenge COFI and prevent it from marching with SUTR on 17 March, SUTR will be understood as saying that Zionism is an acceptable form of racism. This is completely unacceptable, and we call on SUTR to state publicly that COFI or any other Zionist group are not welcome, and that they will be excluded from the march on 17 March if they attempt to join it.

We call on you once again to show your support for the people of Palestine by opposing this attempt to dress anti-Zionism as anti-Semitism on the streets of Glasgow.